The Villian Who Broke The Story

Kael stepped out into the empty hallways of the academy.

The examination had barely begun before he had finished.

Once again, he had trusted his memory and guessed correctly, becoming the first student in the room to submit his paper. The reaction from the class had been immediate. Several students had stared at him as though he had just announced that he planned to fight a dragon with a spoon.

Even Auriella, who was usually difficult to surprise, had shown a brief flicker of shock.

Kael had simply smiled, handed in his paper, and walked outside.

Now he stood beside the classroom door, waiting for the examination period to end.

The hallway was unusually quiet.

Most of the academy had been swallowed by the examination atmosphere. Students were either inside classrooms or scattered around the designated examination halls. Even the usual noise from the corridors had disappeared.

Kael leaned against the wall.

He closed his eyes.

Maybe he could get a few minutes of sleep.

"Hmm this is surprising, you’re through already?"

Kael opened his eyes.

He looked up and spotted Stella approaching from the other end of the corridor.

He blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes as though he had just woken up.

"Aren’t you meant to be coordinating D class," Kael asked,

Stella stopped in front of him.

"Well, I had a meeting with the principal, don’t tell me that you gave up in the theory exams." She asked,

"Na, I, through," Kael replied,

Stella raised an eyebrow.

She clearly didn’t believe him.

"That’s not quite convincing, but I’ll believe you for now, atleast till the results come out," Stella replied,

Kael smiled.

"Well I guess I’ll have to shock you, then," Kael replied with a smile,

Stella folded her arms.

"Well, all said and done, but I don’t see you as someone, that wait in the corridor after being the first to finish an exam, I expect you to be sleeping - after the tournament, you seemed to have fallen in love with your ’bed’" Stella stated quite irked,

Kael stared at her.

"Why do you seem annoyed by me relaxing," Kael asked,

"Because, you have an amazing potential, but, you don’t seem to want to keep working hard after completing an easy task of winning the tournament," Stella stated basically lecturing him,

Kael didn’t immediately respond.

Instead, he walked toward one of the benches positioned against the wall and sat down.

He rested his elbows on his knees.

Stella’s words weren’t completely wrong.

If anything, they were dangerously close to the truth.

Kael had never been particularly interested in following the conventional path of a talented student.

Train.

Study.

Improve.

Repeat.

He had already spent an entire lifetime watching characters in the game follow that exact path.

He knew where talent could take someone.

He also knew where talent stopped being enough.

And, more importantly, Kael knew that his current strength wasn’t nearly enough for what was coming.

The Interhigh Tournament.

The second semester.

Xavier.

The people who would eventually appear.

The things that had already changed because of his presence.

Kael didn’t know exactly how far his interference had pushed the story away from the original timeline.

That uncertainty bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

He looked at Stella.

"Come on Stella, you know the quote, Celebrate small victories, but I don’t plan on, being lack luster, I’m just a bit worried, about my holiday," Kael stated,

Stella tilted her head.

"Aren’t you meant to be happy for it that’s when, you can be permitted, to relax," Stella replied, confused at Kael’s worry,

Kael looked toward the windows.

Sunlight spilled across the corridor.

He sighed.

"I guess, you, don’t know about Xavier," Kael muttered,

Stella’s expression changed immediately.

The relaxed look disappeared.

Her eyebrows lowered.

"I guess, he really did ask you to be his disciple, I’ll advise you to take it, it’ll be more beneficial in your growth," Stella stated

Kael didn’t answer.

Xavier.

Even hearing the name was enough to make his mood change.

In this world, Xavier wasn’t merely a strong individual.

He was the strongest person currently known to exist.

A hunter who had reached the SSR realm.

A monster whose name alone was enough to make powerful people reconsider their decisions.

And apparently, he had taken an interest in Kael.

That was precisely what worried him.

Being Xavier’s disciple wasn’t simply an opportunity.

It was a giant sign hanging over his head.

Everyone would be watching.

Everyone would expect something from him.

And Kael wasn’t entirely sure whether he wanted that attention.

Before he could respond, the classroom door opened.

Another student stepped out of Class A-1.

Stella glanced toward the student.

"I guess I’ll be on my way, now," Stella said, leaving the vicinity,

Kael watched her disappear down the corridor.

He turned around.

His eyes landed on Auriella.

"Oh, you’re through, that was fast," Kael commented,

Aurella’s eyes immediately twitched.

"You’re one to talk" She replied with a hint of annoyance which was quite rare for Auriella,

Kael raised an eyebrow.

Auriella being annoyed was unusual.

Very unusual.

"What are you still doing here, by the way?" Auriella asked,

"I expected you to be sleeping by now," She continued,

Kael placed a hand against his chest.

"Why does, everyone ask that do I really sleep that much," Kael complained,

Auriella’s eyes twitched once more.

For some reason, Kael had been getting on her nerves with his odd behaviours and replies.

She stared at him again.

Her eyes moved across his face, studying him.

Kael noticed.

He had grown accustomed to people analyzing him since the tournament.

But Auriella’s gaze was different.

She wasn’t merely curious.

She was studying him.

"Well if you must know, I’m waiting for a certain someone," Kael replied,

Aurella didn’t hesitate.

"Is it Verdia," Auriella guessed,

Kael turned toward her.

"Why would you say that," Kael replied,

"Well, both of you were childhood friends and were also engaged, so she is basically the closest person to you in this academy," Auriella stated,

Kael scratched the back of his head.

"Well, that’s basically though, but, we could also be what you consider an ex- boyfriend, an ex-girlfriend," Kael replied,

Auriella’s expression remained calm.

"But, I thought you loved her, it was a popular news in the kingdom," Auriella inquired,

Kael visibly cringed.

"I guess you could say that, but that, was a long time ago," Kael said,

Aurella tilted her head slightly.

"I heard it before the week before entering the academy so its quite recent, is that why you picked up the blade," Auriella asked,

Kael frowned.

"What do you mean," Kael asked,

Aurella turned her head.

Her stoic gaze landed directly on Kael.

"Its obvious that you’re talented, but you’re never, had, the motivation to train, since child birth, you’ve been couped up in the Draven manor, only coming out during special events, you were even referred to as, the black butterfly, because of how much you were couped up in, your manor, until, you were engaged to Verdia, and the both of you began meeting periodically that was when, the Black Butterfly, began to fly out of the confines of the manor for the first time, But, after the engagement was called off, you retracted back to the manor, only to reappear in the academy, so I suspect, that, you’re here, and began training to be the top ranked student to solely to impress Verdia," Auriella said

Kael stared at her.

For once, he didn’t have an immediate sarcastic response.

She had done her homework.

Too much homework.

The title of the Black Butterfly wasn’t something Kael liked remembering although it sounded cool.

It had been attached to his name long before he ever came to the academy.

The Draven family had been powerful enough that Kael’s isolation had become almost legendary among the kingdom’s nobles.

He rarely attended social gatherings.

He rarely participated in public events.

He almost never appeared outside the Draven estate unless his mother required it.

Then Verdia had entered his life.

The engagement had changed that.

For the first time, Kael had started appearing in public regularly.

People had watched the Black Butterfly leave his cage.

Then the engagement ended.

And the butterfly disappeared again.

Until Kael entered the academy.

Auriella had connected those events together.

And her conclusion made perfect sense.

It was just wrong.

Kael slowly exhaled.

"I know, you’re really done your research, but you are wrong about one thing," Kael stated,

Aurella waited.

"My drive to start training is not linked to Verdia. Take it as me selfishly aiming for power in the academy, but at the same time, I’m wondering when you had the time to research on me, and why you’ll do that in the first place," Kael stated, because he didn’t genuinely know the reason, why she would do such a thorough research on him,

Aurella didn’t answer immediately.

She looked toward the classroom.

Then toward the corridor.

Finally, she looked back at Kael.

"Well, if you want to know why; It’s because, I’ve officially joined the student council and I don’t plan on, being the first student council president that breaks tradition," She stated her eyes, burning with conviction, as she stared at Kael,

Kael’s expression changed.

So that was it.

Aurella hadn’t researched him because she was personally interested in his relationship with Verdia.

She had done it because she was preparing herself.

The Student Council.

The academy.

The Interhigh Tournament.

And eventually, the presidency.

Aurella had no intention of remaining in his shadow.

She wanted the position that Kael currently occupied.

She wanted the recognition that came with being the strongest first-year.

And judging by her expression, she wasn’t saying it casually.

"I will defeat you, and take the top ranked spot."

The corridor became quiet again.

Kael stared at her for a few seconds.

Then his lips slowly curled upward.

There was no mockery in his expression this time.

Only amusement.

Perhaps even excitement.

For the first time since the examination began, Kael felt genuinely awake.

Aurella wasn’t joking.

She was challenging him.

Kael glanced toward the classroom door.

Then back at her.

The exams were only beginning.

The Interhigh Tournament was approaching.

And apparently, his position at the top wasn’t going to remain uncontested for very long.

Kael smiled.

"That sounds troublesome."

But deep down, he was looking forward to it.